tête-à-tête
by Queenhaq
Summary: Set post 2x02. Richie and Kate cross paths at a diner. Words are had.
1. Chapter 1

"What are you doing here, Kate?"

The last person – wait, was Richie still a person? Could he really be called that now that he was a culebra?

"I asked you a question. Why are you here?"

She turns around, gives him a cold stare. He still looks like the old Richie, dressed in a black suit, hair slicked back, his face an odd combination of man and boy. He's tall and handsome, and from the moment she met him, there was something between them that drew her to him like a moth to a flame. After everything that's happened these past few months, that connection still exists and she has no idea why. She picks up the warm pot sitting on the counter. "I work here. Do you want some coffee?"

"I don't drink that stuff."

She pours herself a cup. "Oh, that's right. You're more into." She meets his stare. "Blood these days, right?"

There's a loud whistle from the other side of the diner where a rowdy group of men are sitting and demanding her attention. As she circles around the counter to approach them, Richie blocks her path.

"You really think that's a good idea?"

She looks up at him, her eyes defiant. "Do _you_ want to take their order?"

"They're not interested in food."

"Yeah well, that's all I'm offering."

"As far as they're concerned, you're the special of the day."

"I can handle them. Besides, they're not the most dangerous thing in this diner."

She walks past Richie and approaches the group. Between the ass-pinching and flirting, it takes a while for her to get their order. By the time she returns to the counter, Richie's already made himself comfortable on a stool, watching her like she's his next meal.

"I'm still waiting for an answer."

She takes a sip of her now lukewarm coffee. "Have you seen my brother?"

Richie gives her a look of disdain. "No. Why would I?"

"I've been tracking him. Last I heard, he was in this area."

"What would Scott be doing here?"

"I don't know."

"If he had any brains, he'd stay the hell away. As should you."

"Guess we can't all be as smart as you."

"Unfortunately."

Irritated by his condescending tone, she leans back against the wall. "Just because you're okay with ditching your brother, doesn't mean I am," she fires back, taunting him.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Don't I? Who do you think became his partner after you took off?" The surprised glint in Richie's eyes takes her by surprise. "You didn't know."

Although a snide smirk forms across Richie's lips, the troubled look in his eyes don't dissipate. He's curious about Seth, and only feigning disinterest.

"Seth used _you_ to pull jobs? Guess I left him far worse than I thought."

"He didn't _use_ me for anything. We were partners."

"Sure," he scoffs. "I know my brother. He likes to be the one in charge."

"Granted it wasn't easy, but I wasn't going to let him boss me around. He was a major pain in the butt about the whole thing but came around after a while."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I'm telling you the truth. If you don't want to believe it, that's your business."

Richie holds her stare for the longest time, and she wonders if he's doing that same mindreading trick he did when they first met by the pool. Back then he'd sensed all the pain and anger she held towards her father. What would he see now? Her desperation? Fear? Or would he experience the overwhelming guilt she felt at abandoning her brother?

"How is he?"

His tone might be matter-of-fact, but she hears the subtle quiver in his voice, spots the fleeting spark of concern in his gaze. They're a lot alike, Richie and Seth. Both can be stubborn and set in their ways when they're angry. "Not good."

His eyebrows furrow as he slowly leans forward. "How so?"

"When he wasn't busy planning jobs or bitching about you, he liked to get high."

"He smokes up to relax. He always has. It's not a big deal."

"No, not weed. Heroin."

Instantly Richie shakes his head 'no'. "Nope." He shoots her a look of contempt. "Now I know you're fucking with me. Seth's not a smackhead."

"Losing family has a way of changing people."

"You said the two of you are partners, so where is he now?"

She paused. "We.. decided to go our separate ways."

"Why?"

"Because he wants to pretend you and other culebras don't exist and I can't do that. Scott's out there. I can't just leave him to fend for himself."

"Did it ever occur to you that Bruce Lee may not need you? Maybe he's fine on his own."

Right away her temper flares at his callous disregard. "His. Name. Is. Scott."

In a blink of an eye he stands up, leans over the counter to grab her arm and pull her close. Fear trickles down her spine remembering how quickly he can shift from sweet to threatening - and that was when he was just human. Now that he's a culebra, he's exponentially more terrifying. "If Scott wanted a happy reunion, you wouldn't have to look so hard for him. Obviously he doesn't want to have anything to do with you."

So Richie does know how to read minds, because he was able to pick up on her biggest fear. She swallows the lump in her throat. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"This isn't a lifetime movie, Katie-cakes. Scott isn't going to come looking for you. He doesn't want family, he wants power."

"Maybe that's true for you, but I know my brother. He's good, he's kind, but right now he's just confused. Once he finds his way back, he'll be fine again."

He eases his grip on her elbow as his eyes penetrate into her soul. "You should stop being so naive."

"How _is_ your girlfriend, Richie? Still driving you insane like she did before?"

He pulls back, seemingly surprised by her acerbic tone.

"I heard what she did to you, how she tortured you for months, and now the two of you are playing house together. Isn't that sweet?"

"You sound jealous."

She bristles. "Don't flatter yourself."

"It was just a kiss, Kate. I didn't make you any promises."

His sheer arrogance makes her want to reach out and slap him. "Get over yourself, you idiot."

"You don't see me getting upset about you and Seth shacking up, do you?"

And yet, she could sense the current of hostility vibrating off of him in waves. _Was_ he jealous? What the hell? He had no right to be. "Get out, Richie. I don't want you in here."

His eyebrow quirks up, eyes gleaming with cockiness. "It's a diner. I'm a paying customer."

"And I reserve the right to refuse service."

Richie angles closer, sneering at her, when, suddenly, someone grabs onto his neck and pulls him away. A bloodcurdling scream reaches her ear only to be silenced a second later when the familiar figure in front of her shoots the customer straight in the face.

It's the same man who killed Rafa, and now he's back.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate wakes up to a throbbing head and aching pain throughout her body. It takes a few seconds for the wooziness to go away and it doesn't help that the room is so dark she can barely see anything. For that matter she can't even move, her hands secured tightly around the pole behind her.

"You okay?"

Even if she can't see Richie, it's a relief to know she's not alone. "Where are we?"

"Underground somewhere. There's a strip bar on top of us, probably a few levels up."

"How do you know that?"

"I can hear horny dudes howling at strippers," he deadpans. "And the chicken wings smell pretty good too."

All _she_ hears is dead silence. "Can't you use your culebra superpowers to get us out of here?"

"If I could, I would've done it already."

"Why can't you?"

"Because, Kate," he says in an irritated tone. "They have me cuffed with pure silver, which is like culebra kryptonite."

"Oh."

Silence ensues, and her mind wanders back to the monster who had killed Rafa and was ready to shoot her dead not too long ago. Dread washes over her again remembering the cold, ruthless determination in his killer eyes. "Do you know where Seth is? Have you talked to him?"

"He's fine," Richie answers dismissively. "What kind of trouble are you up to? What the hell does this freaky cowboy wannbe want from you?"

"Me? He's after you and Seth! He almost shot me in Mexico just to get to him. If it wasn't for Rafa, I'd be dead right now."

"Who the fuck is Rafa?"

Just thinking about him hurts. "Never mind."

"So what does he want? What kind of trouble is Seth in?"

"The kind you should blame yourself for. The reason this guy is after the two of you is because of your soul-sucking monster of a girlfriend."

"I see you picked up my brother's small-minded attitude."

"He's wrong about a lot of things but not when it comes to Santanico. She _is_ a monster."

There is a brief pause before he starts making conversation again.

"So you really shacked up with my brother in Mexico."

"I didn't exactly have a choice."

"Why? Did he kidnap you again?"

"No," she replies begrudgingly. "I was the one who asked to go with him."

"Why?" Richie asks, genuinely surprised.

"Why not? Thanks to your girlfriend, I lost everyone in my family that night. Last thing I wanted was to be alone."

"We _all_ end up alone, sooner or later."

"Sounds like things are going great with you and Santanico," she bites out. "Hope she was worth destroying so many lives over."

"Don't be such a brat."

"Fuck off!"

"You don't know anything about her or what she's been through."

"And I don't care. I have no interest in joining her fan club."

"I should've realised you're too immature to have a conversation with."

"Funny, that didn't stop you from hitting on me before."

"Still hung up on that kiss, huh?"

"Get over yourself. I have."

"Sounds like you're still carrying a torch for me."

"And it sounds like you're still crazy."

The air is thick with tension, and she realises she must have hit a nerve.

"I. Am. Not. Crazy."

"That's not what I've heard."

"You shouldn't believe everything Seth says."

"I don't. I think he thinks you're still under Santanico's spell but that's not true, is it? Everything you've done, you did because _you_ wanted to. And you'd make all the same choices again, wouldn't you? You'd destroy all those lives just to get what you want."

"You need to keep your mouth shut right now."

"I'll take that as a yes," she mutters.

Her arms are sore, and as hard as she tries to wriggle out of her cuffs, she can't. Attacked by a dizzy spell once again, she closes her eyes.

"Take deep breaths, and count to ten. It'll help you feel better."

She grudgingly follows his advice. Eventually he starts to count with her, and it helps to distract her as she focuses on his voice. After a while, the pain goes away and she's back to feeling normal again. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

"How can you be with her after everything she's done to you?"

"You don't want to know the answer to that."

"Why not?"

"As Jack Nicholson put it so succinctly, you can't handle the truth."

"Don't make assumptions about me. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Tell me then, Katie-cakes. What _are_ you capable of?"

His mocking tone is downright insulting, and one she refuses to put up with. "You're an asshole. I don't know why I thought there would still be something decent in you."

"I've never been accused of being decent before."

She contemplates his words, mulling over them. "The first time we met I thought there _was_ something good in you. But it's long gone now."

"That was a front," he replies, his voice cold and distant. "An act designed to get close to you."

" Yeah, I know. Because your girlfriend needed me as a substitute to take her place in the temple."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

She exhales a bitter laugh. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

"Explain," he commands in a bossy tone very similar to Seth's.

"Santanico wanted me to take her place in the temple, to distract the nine lords long enough for her to escape. Isn't that why you flirted with me? Why you kissed me? You pulled out all the stops to make sure I wouldn't leave the Titty twister that night, even when I begged you to."

An eerie silence fills the room, and she wonders what lies he's coming up with to justify his actions.

"I didn't know," he finally says, providing no further explanation.

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"I knew there was a reason you had to be there with me that night, but I didn't know Santanico had anything to do with it."

As pathetic as it may sound, she wants to believe him. Is it possible he had no idea about her being the sacrificial lamb?

" _You_ kissed _me_ first, not the other way around."

And just like that, her resolve to stick it to him strengthens. "Go to hell."

"You kissed me first, Kate, and I was willing to let you go, remember? I won that knife-throwing contest, I got those keys and I was ready to give them to you."

"And then Santanico showed up on stage and you forgot about everyone else." The bitterness is evident in her voice, try as she might to hide it.

A door slams in the distant, and her heart starts pounding. Even though she can't see anything, she can feel someone approaching her.

Richie's panic-stricken voice cuts through the darkness like a shrill scream. "Don't you fucking touch her!"

Hearing the fear in his voice, she grows more afraid. Suddenly the knot around her wrists loosen but before she can even stand someone starts dragging her body on the floor. "Let me go!" she yells, kicking her legs blindly in the air.

Richie's violent threats echo throughout the room, but it seems to have no effect on the person pulling her away.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I wanted to write something Kate/Richie-centric because there's so much left to explore between them. Anyway, hope you guys read and enjoy!**

 **Also, I will be borrowing some of the rules from the True Blood universe so some of the vampire stuff may seem familiar to fans of both show.**


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